Bin to a birthin'

My sister, Patchouli! has been quite insistent that I rest and recover from my recent pelvis episode, she wanted to make sure I was functioning. Not because she cares (hehe) but because she had asked that I come and help care for Spawn#1 when she went into labour. Good thing I have been resting, because I got a call at 8am saying that she had been having contractions since 4.30am and thought maybe it was something, maybe not. We agreed that she would call me back when she was sure and I tried to settle back to sleep. She was 39 weeks and I was actually pretty sure that it was just a false alarm. I was sure she would go past her due date.

I fed Grub but just couldn’t drift off again (Pudding was still asleep and I was trying not to waste the opportunity for a sleep in) so I decided to get up and have a shower just in case. I showered quite quickly and called her back, still dripping wet and wrapped in a towel. She said she still wasn’t sure, however, while I was on the phone with her, she had a massive contraction. She passed the phone to her partner M and I told him I thought I should head straight over. He agreed as it was beginning to be difficult to manage caring for their almost-three-year-old and support Patchouli! through her contractions all by himself.

Grub and I made it to their house by 9am and our midwife W was already there. The birth pool was filling, the same birth pool, which Grub had been born in. It was clear from the way things were progressing that we would be meeting a new member of the family soon.

Grub and I played with Spawn#1, having tea parties and such, while Patchouli! continued to labour in the pool. It was lovely to spend the morning playing with my nephew. We were all so excited and he wasn’t phased at all by his Mummy labouring in the kitchen (the only place the pool would fit). The only remotely tense moment was when some religious callers decided to knock on the door. It was quite fun to tell them that there was a woman having a baby and to go away! Heh.

Grub went down for a nap in her pram (she NEVER agrees to sleep in there I might add) and soon after Patchouli!’s water broke. That was really amazing because I was in another room and I actually heard it! We knew then that the baby would be born really soon so I took a hold of the video camera and was able to film, while M and W could attend to Patchouli!

It was AMAZING. It was so cool to be NOT the person doing the birthing. I’ve never attended any births other than those of my own children. I was blown away.

I feel so privileged to have been there when my new nephew made his way into the world. He’s absolutely beautiful.

Welcome to the world Spawn #2, born at home in water. 11.47am, 7th January 2009, weighing 3.32 kg.

Wow, what a lovely birthing story. I am sad that I won’t get to birth this baby in a pool in our kitchen as its something I did imagine doing but for all sorts of reasons have decided against. Hopefully my birth will be just as stressfree even if its not at home!